Process of decorating wood in imitation of marquetry



No. 606,953. Patented July 5, [898. a. H. ALLEN.

PROCESS OF DECORATING WOOD IN IMITATION 0F MARHUETRY.

(Application filed Feb. 26, 1897.) (No Model.)

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GEORGEH. ALLEN, or jo'LINToN, New YORK.

PROCESS OF DECORATING WOOD lN IMITATION OF MARQUETRY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 606,953, dated July 5, 1898.

Application filed February 26, 1897. Serial No. 625,146. (No specimens.)

T0 ctZZ whom, it Ynay concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Clinton, in the county of Oneida and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Decorating Wood in Imitation of Marquetry; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention is an improvementin the proc ess of decorating wood with a view to producing imitation inlaid or marquetry Work; and the object of the invention is to enable such decorated work to be easily, quickly, and cheaply done.

I am aware that prior to my invention it has been proposed to decorate wood by apply ing thereto a layer of varnish, following the lines of the desired pattern, and subsequently applying a number of different-colored stains,

each protected by a layer of varnish, accordof varnish and the removal of the entire coat-' ings along the lines of the figure or pattern by the action of the solvent, which elimination of the varnish along the lines of the pattern requires the exercise of care and skill to prevent defacing the other surface of the work.

I simplify, expedite, and cheapen the process of decorating imitation inlaid work by the present invention. I contemplate the following steps in the order specified, to wit: first, the impression upon the panel or other work of an outline of the figure or pattern; secondly, filling in the outlines of the figure or pattern with varnish containing pigments or dyes to produce the colors desired, which colored varnish discloses to the eye the natural grain of the Wood; thirdly, applying over the entire surface of the panel a stain to form the background, and, finally, while the stain is in a moist condition removing the stain Within the limits of the figure produced by the colored varnish by wiping off the stain with cottonwaste or a sponge or cloth, but without removing the stain on the background of the panel.

To enable others to understand my invention, I have illustrated the work in different stages of the process in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which I Figures 1 to 3 illustrate the work in different stages, and Fig. 4 is a view of the finished panel or work.

In carrying my invention into practice I take a panel of a suitable kind of wood and apply thereto an outline of the pattern or figure it is desired to produce, as shown by Fig. 1. I first prepare a stamp of rubber or other suitable material, which is made in conformity with the pattern, figure, or other object it is desired to apply to the panel, and this stamp is inked orother transfer material is applied tothe'face of said stamp. The stamp is manipulated either by hand or in a press to force the inked or transfer face thereof upon the panel, and the outline of the pattern is thus produced upon the panel to serve as a guide to the operator in filling in the colored varnish.

In preparing the material to fill in the pattern or figure I take a suitable quantity of Varnish and mix therewith pigments or dyes of the different colors it is desired to have show in the decoratedwork. Any color desired mayb n ed- The second and one of the mostimportant steps of my process consists in filling in the pattern or figure with the colored varnish. This colored varnish is not one solid color throughout the pattern or figure, but a number of colors may be applied to different parts of the figure, according to the nature of the work it is desired to imitate. For example, if it is desired to imitate marquetry or woodinlaid work the colors applied to the pattern will vary in number according to the 'nun1- ber of different colored woods it is desired to have the finished work resemble. Thus rosewood, oak, walnut, or other colors may be applied. It is to be understood that these different colors are all applied to fill in the pattern or figure at the second stage of the process, as distinguished from coating the panel with the successive layers of stain one on top of the other and applying varnish to the different coatings of stain. This varnish with different colors incorporated therewith is applied to different parts within and between the outlines of the design or pattern, and such coatings of colored varnish do not entirely obscure the wood, but are of such translucent or semitransparent nature as to disclose to view the natural grain of the wood, as indicated by Fig. 2.

The third step of my process consists in applying over the entire surface of the panel a stain suitable to form the background of the panel. This background may be of any color suitable to the work it is to imitate, and it is applied over the figure filled in with the colored varnish, as well as over the untreated or natural-wood surface of the panel or other work.

The fourth and last step of my process consists in removing the stain or background from the varnished and colored pattern or figure, and this is effected before the stain or background has dried and while it is still in a moist condition. The removal of the stain is restricted to that part of the work following the lines of the pattern orfigure filled in by the colored varnish, and such removal of the stain is accomplished by wiping off the stain with cotton-waste or a cloth or a sponge, which may be either damp or dry, but which does not carry with it a solvent for the varnished and colored pattern or figure.

The work is allowed to dry and then finished in any suitable or usual manner.

My invention does not contemplate the removal of the varnished pattern by the action of a solvent after the background stain has been applied thereto in order to show the figure in the natural wood; but, on the contrary, the figure or pattern is produced by the application of colored varnish, which adheres to and forms an integral part of the decorated wood, but which is of such translucent or semitransparent nature as to disclose the natural grain of the wood.

I attach importance to the impression upon the wood panel or other work of the outlines of the desired pattern or figure from a proper work to be decorated in different colors, ac-

cording to the nature of the object to be imitated, and the colored varnish also shows the natural grain of the wood. Objects from nature, such as flowers, may be painted on the wood or other decorations applied thereto.

I am able to quickly and cheaply decorate wood in imitation of marquetry and apply the background thereto without risk or danger of spoiling the surface of the Work by the application of a solvent thereto in removing the stain from the colored figure.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The process of decorating wood in imitation of inlaid woodwork which consists of the following steps, viz: first applying to the surface of the panel an outline of the pattern or figure upon said panel; secondly, applying within the line of the pattern or figure and to different parts thereof transparent or translucent varnishes of different colors, the whole adapted to disclose to view the natural grain of the wood in the finished work; thirdly, coating the entire surface of the panel including the varnished and colored pattern thereon and the bare wood surface of said panel outside the ornamented portion with a stain suitable for the background and, finally, removing the stain while it is in a moist condition, from the panel within the limits of the pattern or figure formed by the varnished and colored surface described, whereby the figure or pattern formed by the colored varnish adheres to, and forms an integral part of, the decorated panel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEO. II. ALLEN.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH R. Enson, W. CLARENCE DUVALL. 

